Baughman Center at the University of Florida

Baughman Center at the University of Florida

Gainesville

Built in 2000 by John Zona, AIA.

The Baughman Center consists of two separate buildings: a 1,500 square foot pavilion and a 1,000 square foot administrative building. The pavilion has fixed bench seating that accommodates 96 people. The exterior walls are made of natural Florida cypress stained to reflect its natural surroundings and grooved vertically to represent individual tree trunks. The roof system is fabricated of tongue-and-groove yellow pine and copper to reflect the ancient materials of medieval cathedrals. The front door is reminiscent of ancient gothic doorways and is comprised of maple with inlaid gothic patterns in cherry and an ornamental architrave of crenellated mahogany.
The interior materials are painted structural steel and stained southern yellow pine planking. The pavilion is oriented so that the dominant axis coincides with sunrise and sunset at the summer solstice. The building’s cross-section is reminiscent of ancient basilican cathedrals, complete with three aisles and a sloping roof. The floor is made of three shades of travertine marble arranged in a geometric pattern based on the
building’s structure, a device reminiscent of the
ancient cathedrals after which it was patterned.